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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Driving is something that almost everyone does. But what makes somebody a good driver vs. a bad driver? I've noticed that anyone going slower than me is an idiot and anyone going faster than me is a maniac! One of the most annoying things is when someone is tailgating you. Nothing can incite road rage like someone who is following too closely. For one thing, someone driving too closely on your tail is telling you that you're driving too slowly. I can somewhat understand that when you're on the freeway in the fast lane and someone is not driving faster than the other lanes of traffic. They need to MOVE OVER! One time I was actually driving along in the fast lane and came upon a car that I swear to you, was driving 45 miles an hour. I couldn't believe it. I, apparently, was following this car too closely for its comfort. All of a sudden, the brake lights came on and it slowed down even more. Whereas before it was slightly dangerous, now it became high risk. This car slowed down to 35 miles an hour! I got the heck around this idiot and avoided potential danger. But there are all kinds of speeds on the freeway, each person thinking that theirs is the ideal. Tailgating is not a great way to enforce speed, however. And what about in town? So many crashes could be avoided by just following your state's following laws. Most states say that at speeds over 35 mph, you need to have 2 second following space. I think one of the only things I remember from my Driver Ed days, fifty billion years ago, is the directive to say "one--one thousand, two--one thousand," to yourself for judging the two second following distance. It's actually a very helpful rule because if I were to actually rear-end someone, I would be given a ticket, without question, as the one who was at fault.

Well, now there is a new instrument in the law enforcement arsenal to help police officers enforce that law even more. It's called the 'TruCam' and it targets tailgaters before the accident happens. Ohio already has it on the law books and my state of Utah will soon follow suit. 'TruCam' is a radar gun that measures actual distance between cars and then videotapes the actual cars involved. Police say that it really isn't to give more tickets, but to educate and show people how badly they really are driving. (Great, just what I needed!) "We're hoping this will help us be proactive and actually educate the public and stop the accidents from happening rather than just responding to them after they happen." Alrighty then, maybe I'll have a little less irritation from those pesky tailgaters. Good idea? What is the most irritating thing for you when driving? Will these Trucams be a big help?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Last month was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In an attempt to illustrate what it was like for the slaves to ride in a ship, below deck, without moving for days or even months, a teacher made her 3rd graders lay down on a rug and not move for 45 minutes. Now, for me, I'd love it. I'd pass out and not wake up for awhile and totally come out of the teaching experience thinking that while it must have totally sucked to have had to travel worse than steerage class, and against my will at that, I definitely needed the rest. But for a classroom full of 3rd graders, that might be a little bit of a hard lesson. A real concept of time and a sense of empathy for others based on their own experiences are things that we don't really expect them to fully grasp at this time in their short lives I think that possibly a 15 minutes stretch would have been ample time to show them how hard it must have been to lay like that on a ship coming to America. Evidently, though, a parent feels so strongly that this was a misuse of a teacher's authority that she has filed a complaint with the Canyons School District's office of civil rights. The mother, a legal emigrant from an Eastern European country several years ago said this kind of teaching tactic hits too close to home. She grew up in a school system ruled by the old Soviet Union, which "introduced a destructive educational system: teachers enjoying corporal punishments, verbal abuse and humiliation, voiceless students and helpless parents." I believe that the above is a true statement, based on my acquaintance with my friend, Viktoriya, who grew up in the Ukraine and told me tales of the teachers there, who were very cruel and humiliating to students. I do not believe, however, that this teacher was acting irresponsibly or cruelly. Perhaps, uninformed and overly dramatic would be better descriptions. I don't believe there is any looming danger of our school systems becoming encumbered with teachers who are empowered with weapons of corporal discipline and lack of guidelines. Not a chance. I think this teacher was a young and zealous teacher, with strong beliefs about this historical event in America. I say no harm, no foul!

Friday, February 11, 2011

It has been a year since I opened up the first giveaway on my blog--It was just because I thought it would be so fun to give things away to readers who came across here! So I decided to do something for Valentine's Day! It was a gift set of great Cinnamon Lotion and Massage Oil. Of course it was provided by moi, yours truly, me, myself and I! But I had a great time and was really excited that I had 76 entrants! The year went by and I just realized that I have had 36 winners since then! I'm so excited about that. Any little thing that I can do to spread the love about products that I think are incredible and provide some free ones is all my pleasure! Thank you so much to the incredible sponsors I have had the chance to work with. Sponsors like, Pink Bench, Tropical Traditions, CSN, Breeze Comfort, Misikko, NGlassworks, Grateful Body and many others. Of course, I'd like this coming year to be just as great as last year. So please keep stopping by and checking out my giveaways and reviews. I fully intend to keep them coming! Of course I love to enter your giveaways as well. If you want to see the giveaways that I list and enter, please go to my site called, A Gal Needs At Least 2 Blogs! Please feel free to follow along! I only list the giveaways that I absolutely love! You might agree!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Congratulations to #2! You will be e-mailed and have 48 hours to respond to claim this prize! Thanks so much to Stefan Aschan for the opportunity to host this great giveaway!

I've never been one to diet because it really messes with my phyche. I was actually a bulimic adolescent for a short period of time and was also anorexic before that. The pressures of society were so great that I succumbed to the need and desire to be ultra thin. Now, I absolutely adore food and if I am blessed with an occasion to enjoy a tasty morsel, such as the incredible tacos made with corn tortillas, homemade guacamole, chicken and salsa that DH made, I'm not going to pass up on it. But fortunately for me, tasty also means healthy. I don't like junk food with empty calories and artificial ingredients too much because I feel gross afterwards.

When I got the opportunity to read Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, I was really impressed. I can put so many of the ideas found in this book into my life without actually feeling like I am dieting. The great thing is that I will still lose weight if I follow any number of the tips found in Alpine Weight Loss Secrets!

The chapters in the book are:

Change your mind, change your body (flex your mental muscle)

“Lighten” your metabolism

Alpine Eating: Choose Tomatoes Not Potatoes

Improve Your Fat-titude

Instant Anti-Ager: Your Posture

The At-Home Alpine Aerobic Solution

Train Yourself “Jung” (young)

A Flat Belly – “Schnell” (fast)!

The Joy of Living: Think and Grow Thin

“Hudry Wusch”: Eat Yourself Thin

“Holodrio!” Stay, Feel, and Look Young for a Lifetime

I feel like this book is great for any age or stage in life because it is a philosophy that works with you and your lifestyle. The recipes are totally healthy, easy and tasty. The only thing is that some of us may not have access all of the time to organic meats and vegetables, like Stephan recommends. Of course organic is better, just not always accessible. I say, do the best that you can at where you are, it will still be great.

My take: This isn't just another diet book. It is a fresh and very motivating approach to food and exercise that makes losing weight fun and not drudgery! My suggestion would be to work on one chapter at a time until it is part of your lifestyle and you don't have to think about it anymore. A simple change that I have made is that I have lemon water in the morning. It is really simple, but it makes a world of difference because it speeds up the digestive system and metabolic processes! Stephen would like to give one of my readers a free copy of this book and here is all you need to do to qualify!

Tell me how your weight loss experience has been in the past and a weight loss tip that has worked for you!

Giveaway closes on Friday, February 25th at 11:59 MST. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator and winner will be notified by e-mail. I was provided a digital copy of the book to base this review on. The winner will receive a hard copy of the book, Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, from Stephan Aschan. Thanks to everyone who participated!